and he notes -

When all else fails, consult a dictionary. According to The American 
Heritage Office Edition Dictionary, [Dell Publishing, New York, NY ca. 1984]:

cement (see-ment) n. [Latin: caementium] - A construction adhesive 
consisting essentially of powdered rock and clay substances that form a 
paste with water and sets as a solid mass.

concrete (kon-krete) n. [Latin: concretus] - A construction material 
consisting of conglomerate gravel, pebbles, broken stone or slag in a 
mortar or cement matrix.

Concrete was first used in construction of Roman aqueducts and later in 
walls and porticos, often being reinforced with a wicker mesh, much as 
concrete slabs are today (with steel rod). While cement can be mixed with 
water and it will set, it has little strength and will crumble easily. 
Mixed with sand or aggregate and it becomes a strong construction material.

I worked in a concrete pipe factory one summer during college and welded 
reinforcing cages (from 'wire cloth' as it was called). Cement was 
delivered to a silo by rail in covered hoppers and wire cloth in box cars. 
Outgoing pipe was usually delivered to a construction site by flatbed 
trailers and fresh pipe was yarded for curing by an old Reo tractor and a 
decrepit wood trailer.

The process of making reinforced concrete sewer or water pipe is known as 
the 'Hume Process' and originated in Australia in the 19th century.. Much 
like the Roman method, the first pipes were reinforced with wicker cloth. 
When gas and then arc welding came into use, wire cloth was substituted. 
The gauge of the wire varied according to the load the pipe must withstand, 
as well as the diameter of the finished pipe. We made 12" to 72" pipe in 
both 4' and 8' lengths (mostly 8 footers though).

A concrete mixing plant with the familiar delivery trucks with rotating 
vats wouldn't take as much room as a concrete product plant. Cement could 
be delivered by rail or truck. There would be bunkers for sand and 
different grades of aggregate for different concrete mixes (depending on 
the final use). The ground around the mixing plant would be covered with 
cement as well as concrete droppings. The apron where the delivery vats 
were loaded could be concrete slabs, but most are just well packed soil and 
cement, forming a very hard surface.

Another summer employee and I had to dig a ditch through this stuff and it 
took a pick and a lot of sweat to just get through the surface. It was bull 
work and sure kept me in shape!

There was a small concrete mixing plant here in town until last summer when 
it closed and the building and tower were removed. When the snow melts 
(it's supposed to be in the 40s this week) I'll get some photos of the 
site. The foundations are still there.

Raleigh



At 12:32 PM 12/27/2004, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

> > On Monday, December 27, 2004, at 11:04  AM, Barry Comer wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> enerally won't support the heavy loads of trucks and other equipment.
> >> As for the differences, in my experience, Cement has a smooth, sandy
> >> like texture, and is used for light load bearing surfaces, and/or
> >> small
> >> sections, for sidewalks, patios, air conditioner pads, etc. It
> >> generally
> >> isn't reinforced. Add gravel to cement, and you now have concrete.




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